Plans are underway for the central government to shift second-cycle school-level scholarships to the tertiary level, the Minister in Charge of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has disclosed.
Speaking at a public engagement, he said the scholarship schemes including the Cocobod scholarship and the government scholarship previously awarded to students in second-cycle schools will be cancelled due to the Free Senior High School.
Dr Adutwum who was addressing parents on the New Patriotic Party’s policies for the education sector, also indicated that the student loan scheme is also available to support students who cannot pay their fees.
“We are moving all scholarships to the tertiary levels. The government scholarship and the Cocobod scholarship. We are moving all to the Tertiary because free SHS is not cover high school education.
The student loan scheme is also available and with your ID card and Ghana Card you can access the loan to support your education
Our policy is looking at ensuring that students who transition from High school to Tertiary are able to complete their education. We don’t intend to pay the first year and leave students hanging like the others want to,” he said.
In a related development, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has promised to introduce free tertiary education for the children of cocoa farmers in the country if elected President in the December 7 general election.
The Vice-President made the promise addressing farmers at a Farmers’ Day celebration in Jocubu in the Odotobri constituency of the Ashanti Region emphasizing the government’s commitment to prioritizing higher education for rural communities.
“Initially, COCOBOD provided scholarships for the children of cocoa farmers to attend Senior High Schools. However, with the introduction of the free Senior High School (SHS) policy, every child can now attend SHS at no cost,” Dr Bawumia stated.
He added, “As a result, the government plans to reallocate the funds that were previously used to cover the fees for cocoa farmers’ children. Starting next year, COCOBOD will take over the responsibility of paying the fees for cocoa farmers.”